Jets got it done with new coach, Rams didn't

Thanks to a much-appreciated television blackout, most Rams fans didn’t see their team finish out with a 28-6 loss to the *****.

That was one of the most pathetic offensive performances in team history. It left fans begging for massive improvements on that side of the ball. ShopSTL Marketplace

But one of the TV games the fans COULD watch -– the Jets' 37-0 domination of the Bengals on Sunday night -– provided the blueprint for how the Rams will proceed in 2010.

First-year Jets coach Rex Ryan got his team into the playoffs with a dominating defense, a clock-eating ground game and a young quarterback managing a conservative offense.

That is the model Steve Spagnuolo set out to follow with the Rams. This regime will remain on the course for Year 2, seeking to build around defensive cornerstones Chris Long and James Laurinaitis and bulldozing running back Steven Jackson.

In the Jets victory, rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez completed just eight passes before bowing out with the game in hand. Ryan’s team leaned on power back Thomas Jones (two touchdowns) grinding out yards and former Mizzou quarterback Brad Smith running the “wildcat” scheme.

Smith added an explosive element to the already strong New York ground game. He broke a 57-yard run up the middle and a 32-yard TD run around tackle.

“We just stay true to our identity,” Jets tackle Damien Woody told CBSSports.com. “We're going to do what we do. We're going to run the football. It's not like we came up with any trick plays. We're a running offense. We're not going to do anything different.”

Ryan is 1,000 times more colorful than Spagnuolo, but these coaches share the same beliefs. Both are defensive coaches. Both believe they can build championship teams with dominant defenses and powerful running attacks.

Rams fans pine for “The Greatest Show on Turf,” but that philosophy is not returning while the current regime is in charge.

Ryan succeeded with a young quarterback because his other pieces were in place. Once he convinced Sanchez to quit turning the ball over on every other possession, the Jets were able to finish well.

Sure, they ran into playoff-bound teams that rested starters the past few weeks. That was a huge break, the sort the Rams never got this season. But the Jets still deserve credit for bringing their coach’s vision to life in Year 1 of his tenure.

The Rams can follow this same course under Spagnuolo if the organization continues accumulating better personnel. The team must use their first overall pick to land bulwark defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, then set out to fill the following primary needs:

* Better outside linebackers to flank Laurinaitis, who was everything the Rams were hoping for this season.

* At least one big cornerback who excels in press coverage.

* Another pass-rushing defensive end to replace Leonard Little, who might be finished.

* Protection at offensive tackle, since Jason Smith faces an uncertain future due to post-concussion syndrome and Alex Barron is no more than a stopgap option.

* A viable No. 2 running back to spell Jackson and extend his career.

* A pass-catching tight end to make this West Coast offense work.

* A “go-to” wide receiver capable of earning the big first downs and finishing off scoring drives.

* Another young quarterback to develop into a game manager.

By the end of the season, a full third of the Rams lineup was injured. Most of those guys are coming back. Also returning are many younger players who gained valuable experience filling in -– including pleasant surprises like kicker return Danny Amendola and wide receiver Brandon Gibson.

When Billy Devaney mixes in another good draft class and an assortment of free agents, the Rams should bring a far more competitive group to training camp.

Their goal: Play the same style of football as they did in 2009, but play it better. This is not an exciting plan but. as the Jets proved this season, it can work.

Re: Jets got it done with new coach, Rams didn't

Jets had talent Rams didnt. Man St. Louis sports writers really dig hard to turn nothing into something. He might have well have said the Rams hired the wrong guy the Jets didnt. These guys are a joke, you need talent to succeed. The Colts got it done with a new coach too why didnt he say that instead of the Jets? Just another moron writing stupid crap because he cant do research and come up with a good story.

Re: Jets got it done with new coach, Rams didn't

What surprises me is that they even use this comparison with the Jets.

If the Colts dont sit their starters when leading at half time in week 16, and if the Bengals had even bothered to show up in Week 17, the Jets wouldnt be in the playoffs, and they wouldnt have progressed at all. They make Ryan sound like he was doing a brilliant job in New York, but in reality, they managed to lose 7 games despite having the best rushing attack and best D in the NFL this year!

Re: Jets got it done with new coach, Rams didn't

In the Jets victory, rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez completed just eight passes before bowing out with the game in hand. Ryan’s team leaned on power back Thomas Jones (two touchdowns) grinding out yards and former Mizzou quarterback Brad Smith running the “wildcat” scheme.

Smith added an explosive element to the already strong New York ground game. He broke a 57-yard run up the middle and a 32-yard TD run around tackle.

If the RAMS OL could get away with the type of hold that produced those two plays, they might have had a .500 season.

Originally Posted by eldfan

Ryan succeeded with a young quarterback because his other pieces were in place. Once he convinced Sanchez to quit turning the ball over on every other possession, the Jets were able to finish well.

We definately don't have the peices, even if we were able to eliminate the INTs.

Originally Posted by eldfan

Sure, they ran into playoff-bound teams that rested starters the past few weeks. That was a huge break, the sort the Rams never got this season.

And probably never will until the NFL can forget about this vandetta that they have for St. Louis. This vandetta goes back to the days that the city refused to build a cash-cow stadium for the NFL and Bidwell. Even in the 1999 season a LOT of bad calls and non-calls (Roughing the kicker at the end of the titanics game being picked up) went against the RAMs. They just managed to WAY out play their opponents (including the ones in stripes), and brought home the Gold.

Originally Posted by eldfan

But the Jets still deserve credit for bringing their coach’s vision to life in Year 1 of his tenure.

The Rams can follow this same course under Spagnuolo if the organization continues accumulating better personnel. The team must use their first overall pick to land bulwark defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, then set out to fill the following primary needs:

* Better outside linebackers to flank Laurinaitis, who was everything the Rams were hoping for this season.

* At least one big cornerback who excels in press coverage.

* Another pass-rushing defensive end to replace Leonard Little, who might be finished.

Finished? NO! Finished with St. Louis? Maybe. Ready to retire due to quality of life in his later years? More likely the case.

Originally Posted by eldfan

* Protection at offensive tackle, since Jason Smith faces an uncertain future due to post-concussion syndrome and Alex Barron is no more than a stopgap option.

* A viable No. 2 running back to spell Jackson and extend his career.

* A pass-catching tight end to make this West Coast offense work.

* A “go-to” wide receiver capable of earning the big first downs and finishing off scoring drives.

I think Robinson showed that he can fill this spot, if he can stay healthy.

Originally Posted by eldfan

* Another young quarterback to develop into a game manager.

By the end of the season, a full third of the Rams lineup was injured. Most of those guys are coming back. Also returning are many younger players who gained valuable experience filling in -– including pleasant surprises like kicker return Danny Amendola and wide receiver Brandon Gibson.

When Billy Devaney mixes in another good draft class and an assortment of free agents, the Rams should bring a far more competitive group to training camp.

Their goal: Play the same style of football as they did in 2009, but play it better. This is not an exciting plan but. as the Jets proved this season, it can work.

I think it can be an exciting style of football. We saw flashes of it this year, but then injuries would kill whatever MO was starting to build.

Let's make 2010 a turn around year. How about 15-1 as a turn around? Man would I love that.

Re: Jets got it done with new coach, Rams didn't

This looks to me like a bait-and-switch. Jim Thomas starts off talking about how to succeed like the Jets, but his list doesn't necessarily reflect lessons to be learned from the Jets model:

* Better outside linebackers to flank Laurinaitis, who was everything the Rams were hoping for this season.

The Jets play in a 3-4, so it's hard to draw a great analogy, but the Jets' linebacker corps includes Bryan Thomas, Bart Scott, David Harris, and Calvin Pace. Bart Scott is a big name, but the rest aren't.

* At least one big cornerback who excels in press coverage.

The Jets' starting corners are 5'10 and 5'11. They do not have a big cornerback who excels in press coverage. They do, however, have the top pass defense in the country (statistically in 2009).

* Another pass-rushing defensive end to replace Leonard Little, who might be finished.

The best pass rusher on the Jets defense had 8 sacks, and the team ranked 18th in the league in sacks. However, they still led the league in total defense (yards allowed), scoring defense, and pass defense. I don't know how they did it, but it wasn't by getting to the quarterback.

* Protection at offensive tackle, since Jason Smith faces an uncertain future due to post-concussion syndrome and Alex Barron is no more than a stopgap option.

The one thing that always stuck out in my mind about the Jets was that they drafted a left tackle and a center in the first round of the 2006 draft and later signed Alan Faneca at guard. That doesn't necessarily argue for drafting another offensive tackle, so much as it emphasizes that they're wiling to invest in the interior of the line as well.

* A viable No. 2 running back to spell Jackson and extend his career.

I think it would be fair to say that a viable #2 is at least a small part of the Jets' success.

* A pass-catching tight end to make this West Coast offense work.

Daniel Fells seems to have the pass-catching part down, but the key there seems to be that you have to have a pass-catching tight end who is also competent enough as a blocker that he can be an every down player.

* A “go-to” wide receiver capable of earning the big first downs and finishing off scoring drives.

Agreed.

* Another young quarterback to develop into a game manager.

Well, you definitely need a quarterback, but whether he has to only be a game manager is debatable.

Re: Jets got it done with new coach, Rams didn't

The Jets have a lot of talent, in fact, if you swap Spagnuolo with Ryan, I bet the Rams do worse.

Especially since we dont need Ryan's attitude in the rebuilding effort that the Rams are undertaking.

Im sure everyone here heard about Ryan and Channing Crowder's war of words. Well just imagine if Spags was doing that with Patrick Willis instead of preparing his team to play. That would have created even more problems for the Rams to deal with.

Also, Rex Ryan cried after a loss to Jacksonville. That game was the game that dropped the Jets below .500 for the first time that season. If he is going to cry at being .500, he wouldnt be able to handle being Rams coach. If Spags had cried in front of the team after all the tough, close losses we went through this year he would have lost the respect of the team. We needed Spags to stay tough and stick to his guns, especially with the young players on the roster.